The dark web, that anonymous amalgamation existing within the surface web obscurred by tools like tor and i2p to mask their ip addresses that they may deal in those things the mainstream does not allow has a new product available.

"Ransomware as a Service" as provisioned by malware payloads called Cerber and Cerber 2 which allows anyone to be a cyber criminal as long as the authors get their cut.

Just think ... some pimply faced conversant high school harry psychopath can now purchase instant cybercrime gratification at the expense of those in his path of vectors for a cut of the proceeds.

This is worse than the virus creation toolkits I used to buy for ten bucks in the 80s.

So this is what we've devolved to in our pursuit of the unearned remuneration only available within either inheritance or the criminal element.

So now, after I was getting all warm and fuzzy for the inclusion of my fellow netizens I now find that my old rationale is much more suitable to the information age and this mean thing we've become.

So, when we have cybercriminals publishing addressess accessible by their victims where is law enforcement to shut down and eradicate those networks which would harbor such goings on ?

Surely somebody besides me thinks this practice of ransomware for hire should be terminated with the most extreme prejudice.

Recently the threads have been aflutter with that bodacious Democratic National Committee system hack with exposure of those celebrities, executives, corporate contributors and other big time donors on that open market for pilfered data to the tune of 650 some odd entities.
 

As with many such goings on the reassurances abound with security improvements, the formation of new advisory boards, and that bevy of attorneys and representatives of various technical concerns and internet firms.

In all this hindsight where were all of these people before the fact? The damn Russians have always been there yet nothing was done to nip this betrayal of the contributors in the bud.

Who can effectively deal with the aftermath? Heck, with so many people associated with Bill and Hillary Clinton having vanished over the years maybe they can make the problem go away.

I was reading in the Chicago Tribune regarding a man who rented a car through Renault Eurodrive. The automobile GPS did not have updated maps for countries other than Italy. While travelling the Balkans the man got lost and was unable to obtain sufficient directions to find his hotel. Now he's mad and wants a discount on that sizable payment he makes due to his embarassment and incovenience.

Today for the umpteenth time I watched Simon Birch again. It's the 1998 Mark Steven Johnson film about a boy with stunted growth pursuing his concept of destiny and whatever purpose God has for him.

Anyway, after crying through the death of the Ashley Judd character as I always do and taking it all in yet again I am left with the feeling that sometimes God doesn't really plan our destiny for us and it is largely left up to us what we become.

The most troubling part of all this rehash of life, cirumstance, and consequence is the complacency at which we are expected to accept what may be handed to us as though it is our sworn duty to be what others may want at the expense of that which we may desire for ourselves.

It's always leaving me pondering those dreaded "what ifs" and "if onlys" I try to avoid but never succeed and in that end which is this existence I can only hope that the best I have done will be good enough ...

If not for me, then for the universe and whatever awaits me at the conclusion of my journey.

Yesterday I broke down and mopped the floor.

I've been running the robot regularly so it has been kept well swept ...

but something about the (real) pine oil cleaner and water dissolving those various globs of ick and sopping up the dirt for real has made all the difference.

I'll try not to be so slack in the future.

The floor is really clean and the crib smells of pine oil and that old style clean pine sol lost when they substituted less costly cleaners for the real pine oil they used to contain.

I swear, I love it. Sometimes I'm entirely too slovenly for my own good.

I recently went to WIRED online to read a few tidbits as is my custom ... stemming from my days at the State Newspaper when I was a print copy subscriber.

I was apalled to have this big nag screen jump in my face entitled "The Thing About Ad Blockers" because I don't run a single ad blocker.
 

I do, however, block adobe flash content at every turn. Also, I have no intention of stopping, nor do I make any apologies.

Now, the concept of revenue generation is not lost on me and I fully understand that need to pay the bills to continue acquiring goods and services, but calling something what it's not is pretty lame ... particularly from an organization I used to feel walked on water like WIRED.

It's a crying shame were I not too old get all whiny.

So now I'm reading of Facebook and their unsuccessful endeavors at stopping ad blocking software ... to my amusement I might add. (sic)

Those moving targets consisting of presentation areas of varying script and graphical elements are ever changing in the context of ad presentation but one thing is a constant:

There are a number of us who are not in love with ads. A subset of those — like me absolutely HATE flash ads, not to mention adobe, foreign call centers, spam, and exploits.

Beware content locations of the world. We're not going anywhere either. So if you're going to get in somebody's face with a nag screen at least get your terms right.

A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets. But now you all know there was a man named Jack Dawson, and that he saved me, in every way that a person can be saved.

Old Rose, from Titanic 1997
Directed by Jean Negulesco

I wish that I were an open book, but that simply isn't so. My life has many pages which are public and messy but many more than no one may share.

There have been opportunities of which I took advantage. There are others I missed altogether.

I have loved and won. I have also loved and lost.

I have seen into that deep chasm into the heart of the monster. I dare say there were times when the monster saw into my heart.

Still others where I became the monster.

There were many true friends. There were many others I thought were friends who merely used me spitefully for their own ends.

I pursued the company of others. Others pursued my company as well. There were times I wish I'd just left well enough alone and I'm sure there are those who feel the same regarding me.

I have stood on the mountain top like Martin Luther King and Moses and beheld the promised land. I traveled long and hard and along the way partook of happiness and sorrow and wonderment and wistfulness.

For all the times I learned I took the time to also teach. I once knew the love of God Almighty and though that loss of His favor still pursues me I am hopeful for the future.

Surely this world will not be allowed to become all those fears I see on the horizon. I can only remain that which I have always been, a man; imperfect and pursuant of those things I value.

I only hope that those valuables are sufficient when my story is finally done ... whenever that may be.

It seems that Google projects December of this year for ridding itself of Flash, that web content scourge of the world owned by india and the rest of adobe.

They're really going for the gusto, not only eliminating the major content containers but those little invisible applets which mine data from the user in the name of web analytics.

This auspicious beginning of the eradication of Flash will not arrive soon enough to suit me. Heck, I might even change personal browsers to Chrome just to escape the need for various plugins to block those infuriating flash based intrusions into my web experience ...

Hail to thee oh HTML 5 and I look forward to Flash kicking the bucket along with everyone who uses flash builder as soon as possible.

I look forward to the day when adobe itself ceases to exist.

Prey on that you vermin.

The fear of technology will likely increase as artificial intelligence applications in practical existence continue to rise.

However, like homophobia, the term is much more a misnomer than anything else.

For example, I am not a proponent of the homosexual lifestyle. Though I don't hold it against others I think it is aberant behavior and this is simply my opinion.

This does not make me "fear" homosexuals; but I realize I certainly fall with some of their definitions of "homophobia".

I am a proponent of technology. While I could envision those worst case artificial intelligence scenarios described by Mr Musk and Dr Hawking in their admonitions regarding the portends of AI I cannot indulge in technophobia of the artificial intelligence variety because I have an understanding of the cause and effect relationships they are speaking of when they warn us of the dangers of AI proliferation.
 

Moderation in all things. I don't engage WiFi or other networked home controls because I don't want to give others the ability to exploit them.

This is not so much FEAR as caution for my own well being. I am in favor of some systems remaining manual. This is not to call automation a "bad" thing or to express fear of that technology.

It is merely personal preference due to what I know may be done in the correct set of circumstances.

Suffice it to say that technophobia is nothing I will ever experience because I don't feel that we will be sufficiently advanced in the area of AI or integrated systems automation in my life time.

I simply did not come along late enough in time to require any fear of technology. The fact that I decline to utilize or recognize obvious misnomers borne of our misrepresentative society and lackluster educators is neither here nor there.

I recall my days at Bechtel before I discovered that I was just an IT person and a third rate citizen on that account as well as "just another gd contractor" to those customers we served AND how everyone from whom I required information or service need "hours" from some account prior to any handling of business.

I can't help but think that the continuing Delta glitch of yesterday MUST HAVE BEEN impeded by outsourcing and such antics in the throes of "support" people reading scripted responses from screens presenting database pages rather than real time skill sets at your disposal and support people who were actually concerned regarding the problem.

In reality, outsourcing was a bad idea to begin with. It is a bad idea now. It will remain a bad idea in the future as well for reasons which have become obvious in my experience working with outsourced resources:
 

Outsourced support people could really not care less regarding the efficiency or operation of the enterprise.

Outsourced support people expect to answer only to one individual in the enterprise, that person who pays them. All others are secondary or non issues.

Regardless of what you might hear, you pay way more for outsourced support and services than you do for those available in your own organization.

I am aghast at the expense of outsourcing when I consider the shoddy service received for exhorbinant payments being paid.

Nothing projects incompetence of any organization more than having to rely on outsiders to take care of business in any shoddy fashion they choose.

Outsourcing is a mistake. Call centers should be outlawed. Take care of yourself first. Learn your business and support it yourself.

I once had two happy friends. They were happy all of the time and infuriatingly so at times for me personally.

There was my best friend Jerry Landry, whom I sometimes referred to as one of the "pollyanna capecodese" who was ALWAYS upbeat and optimistic seeking the laugh and good time which made him the perfect military off time companion.

Then there was Irene Simpson, who was somewhat more subdued, but entirely optimistic and looking at the bright side when she and I met in 1974 or so.

Both of these friends are gone from me now. Jerry passed away suddenly and Irene relocated upstate after getting married to another friend and having his baby.

Me, I'm still here and the same as well; but I will admit that I am not the bubbly happy fellow these other two might project regarding themselves. I do however, tend to joke around — but ONLY after taking good care of business.

My priorities certainly have changed over the years. It used to be "fun first" then "business".

Today is Happiness Happens Day. It is held under the auspices of the Secret Society of Happy People (SOHP) which was founded by one Gail Johnson in 1998.

This group celebrates the expression of happiness and encourages their membership as well as others to recognize their happy moments and think about happieness in their daily life.

It is a part of a bigger observance known as Happiness Happens Month ... which is held in August no less. The underlying purpose of both Happiness Happens Day and Month is to share happiness and to encourage people to talk and think about happiness.

There are a couple of reports regarding an alleged hacker breech of MySpace and LinkedIn claiming posession of millions of Yahoo accounts.

Yahoo says it is aware of the claim, that it is unsubstantiated and under investigation.

This hacker, known as "peace" has attempted to sell MySpace and LinkedIn credentials before.

Attempts to contact many of those email addresses proved undeliverable.

Now then, in our never ending fear of the inevitable hacks we may be certain of one thing: there will also be less than credible claims to throw us off track.

While I have a yahoo account which I am going to use until I get a replacement to evade the evil empire verizon ... I have changed my very lengthy and complex password yet again.

This tedium which is our failure to enact reliable security should abate with the advent of these new "exploit detection" servers DARPA has solicited which appear quite promising in the threads.

I hope you're as sick of this crap as I am.